Member blog: Roslyn Appleby

I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, but was lucky to inherit a passionate attachment to rural ‘nature’ through family holidays. Caravanning was a favourite activity, and my father always chose the most remote location he could find to plant our family of six plus the family dog, Sandy. On arrival, Dad’s idea of […]

AASA News: Animal Studies Recognized with New Prize Initiatives

Australasian Animal Studies Association

The Australasian Animal Studies Association (AASA) is launching a new suite of prizes to recognise, celebrate and reward scholars in the emerging interdisciplinary field of Animal Studies.  The prize is made possible by a gift from Animal Studies scholar and AASA foundation member, Associate Professor Siobhan O’Sullivan, UNSW Sydney.   Associate Professor O’Sullivan says that […]

Member publication: Clare Archer-Lean

Archer-Lean, C. (2021). Animal Representative Presence: Problems and Potential in Recent Australian Fiction. In J. Gildersleeve (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Australian Literature (pp. 282–291). Routledge.  What scholarly disciplines are most relevant to this publication?   This chapter is situated in Australian literary studies as part of the new Routledge Companion to Australian Literature, and more specifically is […]

Member blog: Mona Quilty

My practice is based in learning through sculpture and performance. I believe the way to understanding my shared paths with other animals lies right in front of me: those who rest warm and quiet at my feet, those whose body is still by the roadside, those who sing on the roof at the fall of […]

AASA Members – new publications

A wonderful list of recent works by AASA members:- Borrowy, I., Justine Philip, M. Armiero, M. Mart and S. Muller (2021) ‘Toxins, Me and Everybody Else: On Science & Silence Collaborative Forum’, Journal of Environmental History, Oxford University Press. Coleman, E., Rebecca Scollen, B. Batorowicz and D. Akenson (2021) ‘Artistic Freedom or Animal Cruelty? Contemporary […]

Unfair Negative Commentary and Hate Speech – A resource

Much scholarship in Animal Studies challenges mainstream practices involving the use of animals, and as such this research can draw negative criticism from vested interests. This is particularly the case for intersectional work, which often highlights the interconnection of race, nationalisms, gender, sexuality and ability. Researchers in Animal Studies may at some stage experience unfair […]

Call for Papers for AASA2021: Flourishing Animals

This conference focuses on resilience and flourishing in animal lives. The Australasian Animal Studies Association (AASA) calls for paper and panel proposals for its online conference in late November and early December 2021. Proposals are encouraged in a range of themes including:  First Nations and decolonial perspectives on animal flourishing; animal flourishing amidst capitalist economies and geographies of […]

re-earthing exhibition

Annie Edney and Iris Marie BergmannOpening: Sun 4 July 2021, 3 pm Opening talk: Angelica Hristakos Exhibition: 3 – 18 July 2021 St Heliers Street Gallery, Abbotsford Convent, Abbotsford VIC 3067Melbourne, Australia https://reearthingexhibition.wordpress.com/

Animal Language and Prairie Dogs – Con Slobodchikoff

An increasing amount of evidence shows that a number of animals have language or language-like properties. I summarize this information with a variety of examples in Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals; a short video on the topic is also available for viewing.    In 1960, linguist Charles Hockett published a list of […]